Germany, the initiator of World War II, launched another world war 20 years after its defeat in World War I, becoming the most unstable country in Europe. The reason for this is that the Treaty of Versailles imposed on Germany by the victorious powers of World War I completely stimulated the unity and indignation of the German nation, and under the guidance of extremist ideas, embarked on a road of military expansion.
Of course, it is also inseparable from the "connivance" of Britain and France. With the rise of Germany, Britain and France did not recognize their ambitions, took it for granted that "the disaster was diverted to the east", instigated Germany to go to war with the Soviet Union, "sat on the mountain and watched the tiger fight", and even concocted the infamous "Munich Agreement" to betray allies. Eventually, "lifting a rock and dropping it on his own feet" was dropped.
As an old imperialist country, Britain basically exhausted its national strength after the First World War, from a pre-war creditor country to a post-war debtor country, the former scenery is no longer there, and the rapid rise of Germany has exacerbated the British people's sense of crisis, not only to maintain the rule of the Empire, but also do not want to be enemies of Germany and stabilize the situation in Europe.
The "appeasementists" represented by Chamberlain generally believe that the momentum of Germany's rise cannot be contained, and once tough measures are taken, it is bound to trigger a full-scale War in Europe, and Britain will not only not win any benefits, but also encounter unpredictable disasters. It was therefore wise to adopt a policy of compromise and appeasement towards German aggression and expansion.
First of all, vigorously advocate the benefits of "appeasement.". Faced with tensions in Europe, Chamberlain exclaimed that the British Empire was in jeopardy, that war would destroy Britain, and that only "carefulness, patience and self-control could save peace in Europe". At the same time, the hardliners at home are suppressed to create an atmosphere that does not provoke Germany.
Second, shake hands with Germany and try to please. He believed that it was a panacea to save the empire from weakening, through "friendly discussions and negotiations ... Building lasting peace in Europe ... At least a generational peace". Even when he heard of the hunting exhibition in Berlin, he immediately sent his cronies and a group of hunting dogs to participate, which was extremely flattering.
More importantly, he implied that Britain was not opposed to Germany's plan to expand into Eastern Europe, and was even willing to come forward to win France over, together with Germany and Italy, to sign a four-country anti-Soviet cooperation agreement, hoping to draw Germany's attention to the Soviet Union through ideological contradictions in order to protect itself.
At the same time, in exchange for satisfying Germany's demands on the colonies and the territorial issues in Central Europe at the expense of his allies, he actively encouraged Germany to go to war with the Soviet Union, and even acquiesced to Italy's annexation of Ethiopia, acknowledging that Japan had established a puppet state of Manchukuo in China to curry favor with Germany. The british bowed their knees and gave the German Fuehrer more confidence in conquering Europe.
After World War I, Europe can be said to have suffered a lose-lose situation and no winner, and the victorious countries headed by France did not gain too much from it, but fell into the Great Depression that swept the world, and their national strength continued to weaken. Seeing that Germany was growing stronger, the French were not only powerless to contain it, but also tried their best to avoid war.
One is that the shadow of world war I lingers. Despite being a victorious power, France exhausted its national strength and financial resources, especially the deaths of 1.3 million young adults, which gave the French a taste of the cruelty of war and the huge price paid. They were so eager for peace that they abandoned the spirit of confrontation and joined the British in making compromises and concessions against Germany.
Second, the French cabinet, headed by Daradiy, has tried to keep the war as far away from the French border as possible in terms of diplomatic tactics. However, due to the deep hatred between France and Germany, they could only unite closely with the British and follow in the footsteps of the British, so as to counter the Aggressiveness of Germany and try to avoid war, even at the expense of other countries.
More crucially, the "trench warfare" of the First World War period was the magic weapon for them to win the war. As a result, they would rather spend huge sums of money to create a stunning work, the Maginot Line, than use it in the modernization of the army. Strategically, a full defensive position was taken, with full confidence in a strong defensive line that would keep the Germans out of the country.
It was also the Maginot Line that fueled the frenchman's negative attitude. They believe that this line of defense is a guarantee of national security against any foreign aggression. Rather than the French childishly pinning their national security on a line of defense, it is better to say that they are psychologically afraid of war, do not want war, and dare not fight.
In view of the attitude of Britain and France, the German Fuehrer was very satisfied, and he was even more fearless on the road of aggression and expansion. From a certain point of view, the foreign policy of Britain and France, completely following the "baton" of the Germans, not only lost the dignity of a sovereign country, but also was played between the Germans at every turn.
When Germany announced its invasion of Czechoslovakia, Britain and France, as allies, suddenly became nervous, especially Faraday, fearing that if a real fight broke out, France would have to get involved in the vortex of war. He urgently sent a telegram to Chamberlain, suggesting that the heads of state of the two countries go to Berlin to "mediate" the german and Czech issues, and there was the later "Munich Agreement."
In June 1938, with the connivance of the "appeasement policy" of Britain and France, Germany again targeted the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia and threatened the region to be annexed to Germany. In order to create an image of a "peacemaker", British Prime Minister Chamberlain did not greet France and went to Berlin alone to mediate.
After 3 hours of secret talks, the German fuehrer's attitude was very tough, not only demanding that the Sudetenland achieve autonomy, but also ceding it to Germany, and even threatening to "prepare for any war", Chamberlain helplessly said: "This is the only solution for a peaceful settlement", and finally the two sides agreed that Germany would not take military action before meeting again.
That is to say, the only result of Chamberlain's "mediation" in Germany was that the German army did not need to use force, ceded the Sudetenland, and the British did the work. Upon his return, Chamberlain, while holding a cabinet meeting to advocate the German plan, together with the French government, put pressure on the Czech government, which was ruthlessly betrayed by its own allies.
After a week of work, the "Messenger of Peace" Chamberlain came to Berlin again and told the German Fuehrer that Britain, France and the Czech Republic had agreed to cede the Sudetenland to Germany. In order to ensure that Germany would not rebel and make a territorial claim, he called the "Mexican boss" and hoped that Italy would come forward to arrange the convening of a meeting of Britain, France, Germany and Italy.
At Chamberlain's efforts, the German Fuehrer agreed to convene a four-nation summit, and the news reached the British House of Commons, and the assembly hall erupted in enthusiastic cheers, and parliamentarians applauded Chamberlain for a long time. But only a few people, such as Churchill, were indifferent in the lively crowd, and in his opinion, the words of the German Fuehrer were reliable, "sows can go up the tree."
The four-nation meeting proceeded as scheduled, announcing "in principle consent" to the incorporation of the Sudetenland into Germany, and the much-maligned Munich Agreement was published. Even more infuriating was that a few hours later, Chamberlain and the German Fuehrer signed an Anglo-German Declaration, declaring that the two countries "will never go to war with each other", for which Chamberlain was grateful.
Chamberlain, who had returned triumphantly, was warmly welcomed at the London airport, triumphantly waving the declaration of non-aggression and declaring: "From now on, peace for an entire generation is guaranteed... Everyone can go home and sleep in peace." But where did he know that through this game, the German Fuehrer had thoroughly figured out the bottom cards of Britain and France.
Sure enough, after only five months of peace in the Munich Agreement, the Germans occupied all of Czechoslovakia and planned an attack on Poland. Chamberlain, feeling deceived, completely abandoned the appeasement policy, and angrily declared that once Germany attacked Poland, Britain would declare war, and the German Fuehrer, who knew the bottom card, did not care about it.
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Reference: World War II
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